Canucks sign GM Jim Benning to multi-year extension

The Vancouver Canucks announced Wednesday they’ve signed the general manager Jim Benning to a multi-year contract extension.

“I believe we are on the right track and I am pleased to continue the work we started four years ago when we set out to build a championship team,” said Benning in a news release.

A letter was circulating on social media earlier that day from Canucks president Trevor Linden, in which he says the team’s main goal is to “build a young, fast, exciting Canucks team that competes every night and ultimately has a chance to bring the Stanley Cup to Vancouver.”

Linden blamed injuries and inconsistency for the lack of results so far this season, and said the team’s future is brighter than ever with the talent that Benning and the scouting staff have brought together.

Benning was hired as the team’s 11th GM in May 2014, after he served as assistant GM for the Boston Bruins for seven seasons, one of which included a Stanley Cup.

Currently, Vancouver sits fourth last in the NHL and last in the Pacific Division with a record of 22-28-6.

The Canucks have not made the playoffs since the 2014-15 season, and finished in the bottom three of the NHL standings the past two seasons.